"A practical, if heartbreaking, roadmap. ... This book should be required reading for anyone suffering from low self-esteem, and while it will likely cause readers to tear up repeatedly, the empathy and grounded advice is sure to help inspire healing."
-- Publishers Weekly

"Unmasking and destigmatizing the mantle of doubt, fear, guilt and self-blame under which millions of otherwise average Americans quietly suffer and detailing the ways in which self-haters can start to build toward a more accurate understanding of themselves. ...Brutally candid. ... A clarion call to those who struggle with self-loathing that they aren't alone or powerless and that they are capable of healing their battered souls."
-- Forbes

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“Let It Go” and Other Self-Esteem Songs: Do You Feel Better Yet?

I saw Idina Menzel sing “Let It Go” during the Oscars show, and I saw Majesty Rose sing it last night on “American Idol.” Composed by Kristin Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez for the Disney film Frozen — in which a princess sings it after realizing that she no longer needs to keep her amazing ice-creating powers a secret and can now be her authentic self — this song won an Academy Award.

Someday I might see the film and put this song in context and thus not sound like an ignorant whiner, but for now I’ll just say that hearing this song’s lyrics twice made me depressed in the way that modern song lyrics — especially those ostensibly aimed at girls and women — often do. Its message boils down to: I’m great! I’m powerful! I’m no longer oppressed by others! I’m fabulous and free! Look at me!”

Which, psychologically, OK. Who wants to be trapped inside a tiny box crafted by others, based on their expectations of whom we should be? As a person with low self-esteem, I should welcome such songs, which now comprise an ever-larger genre all their own. But self-esteem songs just make me squirm. They’re affirmations, set to soaring music. They’re love songs, sure — but love songs sung to the self, with overly obvious, tedious, shallow, pandering lyrics that mark them as having been authored by people with high self-esteem for people with low self-esteem. Credibility fail. Academy Award aside, artistry fail. Your mileage may vary.

Comments

“Let It Go” and Other Self-Esteem Songs: Do You Feel Better Yet? — 36 Comments

Low self esteem can leave us afraid to try new things because we fear that we will fail. However, the challenge of self esteem building is to embrace new things and to give yourself the opportunity to enjoy them, just because you deserve it. Taking up a new hobby can be a fantastic step towards overcoming low self esteem. Spending time with like minded people and enjoying an activity purely for fun, with no pressure, is a good way to feel better about yourself; you may even discover a hidden talent into the bargain!

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